Government Holds First Roundtable Meeting on 'Energy Demand Reduction'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the first meeting of the 'Energy Demand Management Roundtable' on the 10th to discuss energy demand reduction measures for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The ministry plans to develop multifaceted demand reduction measures considering domestic energy demand trends and the proportion of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.

The meeting was attended by various experts including large, medium, and small enterprises in major energy-consuming industries such as steel, chemical, and cement, energy-saving specialized companies (ESCO), the energy IT industry, academia, civic groups, and related organizations.

Discussions were held on three directions for fostering new industries: ▲a major transformation in demand management involving all energy supply and consumption stakeholders including small and medium enterprises ▲significant demand reduction through voluntary participation and full incentives ▲demand management as an opportunity to tackle the challenge of carbon neutrality.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to regularly hold roundtable meetings in the future and actively utilize the discussions to derive policy tasks related to energy demand management in the 'Energy Carbon Neutrality Innovation Strategy' to be established by the government by the end of this year.

Lee Hohyun, Director of Energy Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "To realize carbon neutrality by 2050, a revolutionary and new approach to energy demand reduction is necessary," adding, "The Energy Demand Management Roundtable, which held its first meeting today, is expected to become a valuable cornerstone that gathers the wisdom of various experts and presents the future direction of energy policy."

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